Dhamnagar: A 12-year-old boy was killed Friday night when a DJ vehicle overturned during a Rath Yatra procession in Anaharapur village under Bhagabanpur panchayat of Dhamnagar block in Bhadrak district.
The accident reportedly occurred due to a damaged road, sparking outrage in the locality. The deceased was identified as Soumyaranjan, son of the late Kishore Raut.
As the chariot moved along a road maintained by the Bhadrak Rural Works department, the poor condition of the road caused the large DJ vehicle, surrounded by a crowd of people, to lose balance and overturn into a roadside canal.
Soumyaranjan was crushed under the overturned vehicle. Local residents, Dhamnagar police, and the fire services team rushed to rescue the boy and took him to the Dhamnagar hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
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Dhamnagar SDPO Trilochan Sethi and IIC Gopalakrishna Jena reached the site, inspected the scene, and seized the overturned DJ vehicle.
A case of unnatural death (17/25) was registered at Dhamnagar police station, and the body was sent to Bhadrak for autopsy Saturday.
Soumyaranjan had lost his father just 14 months earlier, and his tragic death has plunged the local community into grief.
The truck that had transported the equipment fled the scene after the incident. Local residents have demanded financial assistance from the government and the district administration for the bereaved family.
PNN
